Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News | Daily Memphian | Opinion - Guest Columnists

Opinion: Mayor Young — Data center investment requires new rules for growth

editor@dailymemphian.com (Paul Young) — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 21:01:14 -0500

“The communities that succeed in this next economy will be the ones capable of supporting major investment while maintaining the trust of the people who call them home.”

Pilgrim: There’s something magical about the fall

npilgrim@dailymemphian.com (Natalie Pilgrim) — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 04:00:01 -0500

“When Ron Maxey declared summer ‘the best season for a reason,’ I couldn’t resist making the case for autumn.”

Echols: Seeing more stars than our eyes could take in

candaceecholswrites@gmail.com (Candace Echols) — Sun, 9 Aug 2026 04:00:04 -0500

“Awe is evident when your mind has been blown and you are forced to re-think what you knew before.”

Opinion: I wish the rest of America understood what I know about Memphis

morriss@churchhealth.org (G. Scott Morris) — Fri, 7 Aug 2026 14:23:39 -0500

“It takes living here to know the people. That’s what so many who dismiss Memphis never experience. They see headlines but never hospitality. They hear about violence but never generosity. They know the statistics but not our stories.”

Echols: Punctuation is a short-term superpower

candaceecholswrites@gmail.com (Candace Echols) — Sun, 2 Aug 2026 15:47:28 -0500

“I typically write about God in this space, and you may think there’s no way on earth to weave God into a conversation about punctuation – but on that matter, Dear Reader, you would be wrong.”

Opinion: The lesson from the World Cup is that Memphis needs to promote more local musicians

editor@dailymemphian.com (Andrew Tawfik) — Sun, 2 Aug 2026 04:00:14 -0500

“Memphis could be at the epicenter of the next music revival, much like Nashville and country music has enjoyed over the last 15 years. Yet so many of the discussions here today focus on promoting the music infrastructure, with very little about musicians themselves.”

Opinion: Adults can debate — but children can’t wait

editor@dailymemphian.com (Allison N. Oliver) — Sat, 1 Aug 2026 04:00:01 -0500

“Here is my challenge to Memphis as a new school year begins: Move Memphis, mane! Move beyond the debates long enough to remember the reason we have them in the first place: our children.”

Opinion: John Fry’s legacy deserves more than the final headlines

editor@dailymemphian.com (Elizabeth Montgomery Brown) — Sat, 1 Aug 2026 04:00:01 -0500

“As Memphis discusses the future of Ardent Studios, I hope we will spend just as much time remembering why Ardent mattered and honoring John Fry, the man who devoted his life to making sure the music, the people and the history of this city would never be forgotten.”

Echols: At the beach, why do we let Phil Collins drown out the sound of the waves?

candaceecholswrites@gmail.com (Candace Echols) — Sun, 26 Jul 2026 12:27:08 -0500

“In a time of pervasive anxiety and loneliness, we pay a hearty chunk of change for a music box named after a Turtle in order to drown out the God-given sounds that Creation offers to soothe us.”

Maxey: Selective recollections shouldn't become a reality that never was

rmaxey@dailymemphian.com (Ron Maxey) — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 04:00:14 -0500

“As I linger on the sweet and innocent memories, I try to never let them become my lone takeaway from that time in life when things felt better even if they weren’t. I don’t want my selective recollections of the past to become an encompassing reality that never was.”

Opinion: Before you condemn DA Mulroy, read what he said for yourself

erica.a.middleton@gmail.com (Erica May) — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 04:00:09 -0500

“There is a difference between criticizing law enforcement as a profession and criticizing how law enforcement officers are trained. Examining professional failures does not demean a profession. It strengthens it.”

Opinion: Risks of SpaceXAI data center outweigh benefits

editor@dailymemphian.com (Bill Bullock) — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 04:00:14 -0500

“If you plant the right trees in the right places, embrace and care for our native ecosystem, and hold industry and government accountable for their impacts on our environment, we may just succeed.”

Opinion: Memphis breweries ask SpaceXAI to keep its water promise

editor@dailymemphian.com (Rheannan Watson) — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 12:32:17 -0500

Opinion: “Memphis does not have to choose between innovation and stewardship. ... SpaceXAI must complete the water recycling facility, pursue water-saving technologies, and be the community partner Memphis was promised.”

Opinion: Drowning prevention is a matter of public health — and equity

editor@dailymemphian.com (Bruce Randolph) — Sat, 27 Jun 2026 15:06:13 -0500

“Drowning is often viewed as a tragic accident, something rare and unavoidable. In reality, drowning is a leading cause of preventable injury and death, particularly among children and young adults.”

Echols: 'What am I doing to work in tandem with God?'

candaceecholswrites@gmail.com (Candace Echols) — Sun, 21 Jun 2026 09:34:39 -0500

“So much of what I think about and talk about and write about and pray about has to do with the here and now. Who is struggling? What’s on my to-do list? What has happened? What’s up next?”

Opinion: As bus riders suffer, Memphis needs to turn MATA around

editor@dailymemphian.com (Kelsey Huse) — Sat, 20 Jun 2026 21:16:25 -0500

“Last year’s audit made people believe MATA cannot be redeemed. But it is imperative that we not give up. Memphis should be a world-class city. Quality transit attracts employers and gets people to work on time. It also keeps people from going into debt just to maintain a working vehicle.”

Opinion: What Juneteenth teaches us about the America we’re still building

editor@dailymemphian.com (Russell Wigginton Jr.) — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 04:00:06 -0500

“Millions of Americans across racial and geographic lines are working harder and falling further behind. The basic infrastructure of a stable life is out of reach for far too many families. This is not a partisan talking point. It is the lived arithmetic of American households.”

Opinion: Call it what it is — a tax increase

john.covington@memphispoliceassociation.org (John Covington) — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 04:00:06 -0500

“If county government chooses to collect millions of dollars more than the state-certified revenue-neutral rate allows, taxpayers deserve the honesty of calling it exactly what it is: a tax increase.”

Opinion: 'No wonder we are so desensitized to the slaughter'

editors@dailymemphian.com (Jack Richbourg) — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 14:14:51 -0500

“We are more armed than other countries, and more permissive about how those arms are stored, carried, and used. Memphis knows this reality more intimately than most cities. Gun violence is not an abstraction here; it is a daily presence.”

Opinion: The new Memphis zoning code could drive away the retailers we’re desperate to attract

editor@dailymemphian.com (Shawn Massey) — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 04:00:14 -0500

“A zoning code that makes Memphis harder to understand, more expensive to develop and less compatible with national retail formats is not a neutral document. It is a competitive disadvantage.”